Gov. Perry’s busy day in South Carolina

Gov. Rick Perry swung from Rock Hill to Fort Mill to Leesville in South Carolina as the rest of the political world awaited the New Hampshire primary results. Here’s a taste of the case he was making in the state that he’d like to be his firewall, and the people who were hearing him:

The Rock Hill Herald focused on the people who heard Perry’s message at Kinch’s restaurant, including waitress Cindy Torres:

“It is exciting to know that our vote counts, exciting to have him come here,” said Torres, who sure does count. She has three kids, and a husband who is a concrete finisher. Concrete finishers do not get steady work in winter months. Her paycheck at Kinch’s and the tips she earned with her service and smile is more important to her family than the Federal Reserve or any other department in the federal government Perry would want to get rid of.

Perry hit on securing the borders, cutting spending, energy independence and an overall theme of getting government out of the public’s lives.

“The problem in our country for the last decade in particular is that you couldn’t tell the difference between a Democrat and a Republican when it comes to spending,” he said.

Politico reported Perry’s message that Romney’s business made him a vulture, with a Fort Mill dateline:

Perry took his attack on Romney to a new level, telling a retirement crowd that private equity firms are “vultures.”
“They sit there and they wait until they see a distressed company, and then they swoop in and pick the carcass clean, and then fly away,” Perry told reporters.
Asked later if he was talking about Romney and his Bain Capital record, he said, “sure.”

The Texas Tribune, in a story datelined Leesville, recounted a Perry backer’s effort to will the crowd into amnesia regarding Perry’s poor debate performances:

Gov. Perry at Rock Hill, SC (AP)

Perry brought U.S. Rep. Mick Mulvaney on his bus today to stir up crowds at campaign stops. Mulvaney implored a large crowd in Fort Mill to forget about the Perry they saw in debates.
“I’m going to ask you to listen to him for the next 20 minutes,” Mulvaney said of Perry, “and ask yourself: Is this is this the same guy that I saw on the debates, or is this somebody who really does get it and who really should be the president of the United States of America.”